of course the moslems want the good things we have: the tech, the human rights, the sports stars (!). what they would rather leave off the plate is the porn, prostitution, alcohol-fueled stupidity, usury and whatever else gets their collective goat.
when the moderates on our side have flaked off the wingnuts, and likewise on their side, we could meet in the middle with mutual respect, due to all peeps, whether they bend over 5 times a day, kneel, or choose not to worship at all.
if we hadn't been arming and propping up unconscionable leaders, diktats and regimes for decades to slake leviathan's thirst for oil (and blood), we'd be less dependent on the black gold and they'd be learning how to play nice with us.
ping pong did wonders for relations with china in the 50's, right?
and ditto to dodo about the small arms... ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
Ha! What do you think is booming in "free" Iraq? Tech, human rights, sport?
The first things that changed in Iraq was the rise of porn, prostituion and booze.
Those are the real universal human values. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
